The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-08-12

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quito book which is to the effect that
Mr, Van Wrinkle took his sleep in
another valley near by here.n And he
showed him the paragraph.
This seemed to be the first time that
the keeper of Rips well-ventilated bed
room had heard his claims disputed.
HIS eyes flashed, but he controlled him.
self well, and laughed satirically. He
promptly and heroically cut the
Gordian not.
That statements a lie on the face
OF It" he declared; for when ye come
right down to a fine pint, he didn't
sleep nowhar, he slep' here JUS as
much as any place, an / wouldn't
wonder If a little more"
The rock, which is said to have form
ed poor old Rips bedstead, is a snug
little climb from the road. II is about
the length of a comfortable couch, and
hundreds of people are said to take a
drink here and then lay down to see il
1t makes them drowsy. One nice old
lady discovered a slight depression and
pointed it out rs probably made by his
head lying there so long. A sober fac
ed, thoughtful-looking citizen engaged
IN distributing equitably some gravel
that had been dumped upon the road
way, did not believe the story at all.
HE never could lay there twenty
years without no shelter nor nothin'
over him." said the citizen. .Taint
Reasonable. The snow would smud-
der him. Tho wild cats would nibble his
ears. The bears would make a meal
out of him. I've heern this stury fur
some time goin' roun', and I've con
Guided that it's Jest a yarn ( ted by
some theater fellows to make money
out on, They're a-actin' on it out,
now, down to Catskill, in a theater
there. It's nothin' buta made up
yarn"
told him that / had heard that a
man named Irving had started the re-
port
"Wall, / don't know anybody O. that
name 'roun' here" he replied, scraping
the gravel viciously: ''but whoever
twas, he might've been in better busi-
ness"
The Catskill Mountain house, where
the Colonel and his fellow steed finally
landed us, is a veteran of hostelries,
having looked off this shore of a preci-
pice into the valley gulf below for over
sixty years. From such q place as this
we gaze, and know the reason that the
Indians, whose imagination 1cpt into
many of their names, called the Cats
kills 1.-The Mountains of the Sky"
1t is like looking from that chariot of
the air, a balloon: a leaf of God
great atlas lies before you.
The mighty cliff becomes your guide
and leads you by your eyes two thou
sand feet q the valley below, then half
a score of miles, over many a farmers
land, through MANY a s~pire-crowned
village, till It shows you the silver
cleaning Hudson. Ittakes YOU sailing
up and down that famous stream for
sixty miles; If leads you over TO the
east bank and far inland; it takes you
on a tour through several different
states; and all this time you have not
moved u step from the brink of the
American river.
We walk two miles, past two beauti-
full lakes aud come TO the famous falls
Of the Catskill. Nature and mechanics
are here in partnership. As the stream
runs out of the lakes towards the cliffs
where it is to perform its great jump
ing act it is held back by the construc-
ton of a dam, and told to wait until
somebody comes to look at it. When
the visitor arrives he is invited toregis-
ter his name and deposit 70 cents to
the credit of the enterprise. Then he
is admitted through a little wicker
gate, and allowed to climb down
downtown any number of rickety
steps, until he is at last in full view Of
the cliffs over which the water is to
make its leap. When he is at last COM
fortably seated, and ready for the ex-
hibition, the old miller of silver Sdsts
at the top of the cliff turns q small
windlas crank which hoists the gates
and the flood comes tearing down long
enough for you TO witness it and issue
the proper number of admiring ex-
clamation points. Then the old miller
lowers the gates, lights his pipe. and
muses. until your return upon the folly
of the human race. To a question as
10 whether he thought his peculiar
methods of exhibition might be intro
duced at Niagara, he replied that he
wasn't quite certain bout that; he
neyer'd been out Niagara way. When
asked, with such breath as one has on
hand after gettlLs back to him, as to
how many times he has witnessed these
falls which ne manipulatea he replies.
YEARLY. that he was down there about
thirty-six years ago. and hasn't cared
I'll % since. WILL CARLETON.
Iabors Of a London Correspondent